Two Tamil workers from the Red Cross murdered

Two Tamil workers from the Sri Lankan Red Cross murdered

On 1st June 2007 two Tamil workers from the Sri Lankan Red Cross were abducted in the capital Colombo and their bullet-ridden bodies found days later 100km southeast of the capital. Head of Sri Lanka Red Cross in Batticaloa, Mr Vasantharajah, told the media that the two workers were part of a group of six aid workers sent from Batticaloa for a training programme related to tsunami relief work on the 30th of May.

In a joint press release issued by the ICRC, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society Colombo/Geneva, the organizations strongly condemned the abduction and murder:

“We are shocked by these brutal murders and wish to convey our sincere condolences to the family members and colleagues of the dead," said Sri Lanka Red Cross director general Neville Nanayakkara. “At the same time, the Movement calls upon the Sri Lankan authorities to carry out an immediate and comprehensive investigation into the killings.”

“The Movement reminds the parties to the conflict that murder is prohibited under international humanitarian law, and that they must respect the work of humanitarian agencies and refrain from any acts that might jeopardize humanitarian staff or activities. It also urges them to take all necessary measures to ensure that aid workers assisting the civilian population and persons not or no longer taking part in the hostilities are spared from attack and can move freely and safely.”

A statement from British High Commissioner Dominick Chilcott noted that “Targeting people who work for the Red Cross, an organization renowned for its strict neutrality and determination to assist those in need irrespective of their origins, is particularly contemptible.”

In a statement issued by the Inter-Agency Standing Committee country team in the South Asian country – comprising UN agencies and its partners including the non-governmental organizations Oxfam and Save the Children – said that the circumstances surrounding the abduction and killings of the workers demand that the police investigate the case thoroughly. The Committee’s members called for those behind the killings to be brought to justice and for confidence to be restored to the humanitarian environment.

In the opinion of COTANZ (Consortium of Tamil Association in New Zealand), the abduction and killing of two Tamil workers from the Sri Lankan Red Cross is one of the clear indications that the government of Sri Lanka values Tamils less than other groups within Sri Lanka.

ENDS

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